Undergraduate Module Descriptor

POL2100: Political Conflicts in Europe

This module descriptor refers to the 2021/2 academic year.

Module Content

Syllabus Plan

Whilst the module’s precise content may vary from year to year, it is envisaged that the syllabus will cover some or all of the following topics:

Party political conflict

  • Party systems and party families in Eastern and Western Europe
  • The rise of right-wing populism in Western and Northern Europe
  • Economic hardship and political conflict (case studies from Southern Europe)

The rise and fall of democracy

  • The promotion of democracy and EU enlargement (case studies: Eastern European countries, Balkan)
  • The quality of democracy (e.g. Poland and Hungary)
  • Political culture: trust and mistrust in political institutions in the East and West
  • Elite-mass linkages in a time of ‘post-factual’ politics

Globalisation and European integration

  • European identity: threat or unifying force?
  • Globalisation and immigration as a conflict at the national level
  • The nature of political conflict at the European level

Learning and Teaching

This table provides an overview of how your hours of study for this module are allocated:

Scheduled Learning and Teaching ActivitiesGuided independent studyPlacement / study abroad
221280

...and this table provides a more detailed breakdown of the hours allocated to various study activities:

CategoryHours of study timeDescription
Scheduled Learning & Teaching activities2211 x 2-hour lectures with a mix of lecture, collective discussion, and presentations
Guided Independent Study78Preparation and completion of course assignments (50 hours essay, 14 hours presentation, 14 hours reaction paper)
Guided Independent Study50Reading for seminars

Online Resources

This module has online resources available via ELE (the Exeter Learning Environment).

How this Module is Assessed

In the tables below, you will see reference to 'ILO's. An ILO is an Intended Learning Outcome - see Aims and Learning Outcomes for details of the ILOs for this module.

Formative Assessment

A formative assessment is designed to give you feedback on your understanding of the module content but it will not count towards your mark for the module.

Form of assessmentSize of the assessment (eg length / duration)ILOs assessedFeedback method
Essay plan400 words, to be discussed with peers1-6Verbal peer feedback

Summative Assessment

A summative assessment counts towards your mark for the module. The table below tells you what percentage of your mark will come from which type of assessment.

CourseworkWritten examsPractical exams
85015

...and this table provides further details on the summative assessments for this module.

Form of assessment% of creditSize of the assessment (eg length / duration)ILOs assessedFeedback method
Essay602,500 words1-6Written feedback
Group Presentation154 minutes per student (assessment based on individual presentation)1-7Verbal feedback
Reaction to reading25900 words - reaction to a reading posted online on ELE before the session (so they can inform in-class discussions)1-6Verbal feedback
0
0
0

Re-assessment

Re-assessment takes place when the summative assessment has not been completed by the original deadline, and the student has been allowed to refer or defer it to a later date (this only happens following certain criteria and is always subject to exam board approval). For obvious reasons, re-assessments cannot be the same as the original assessment and so these alternatives are set. In cases where the form of assessment is the same, the content will nevertheless be different.

Original form of assessmentForm of re-assessmentILOs re-assessedTimescale for re-assessment
EssayEssay (2,500 words)1-6August/September reassessment period
Presentation1,000 word report covering the topic of the presentation1-6August/September reassessment period
Reactions to readings1,000 word reaction paper1-6August/September reassessment period